Moving and Shaking

I've been really bad about posting race stuff lately, but this year I've done (from top left) the Krispy Kreme 5 mile run in Raleigh with my friend Kristin, the Rugged Maniac 5K, the Wild Blue ropes course (scary!!!) with our box, and the Insane Inflatable 5K last weekend. Whew! It's been a busy few months and running still sucks, but I'm trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other and not give up.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

These might just be my favorite gluten-free cookie recipe so far. They are the perfect texture (fluffy and slightly chewy), and weren't overwhelmingly peanut buttery (or almond butter in my case). You could even throw in some nuts and shredded coconut to make them cowgirl cookies. Giddy up!

Ingredients
⅔ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup almond butter
⅔ cup brown sugar
2  eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
⅔ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat almond butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips.

Roll cookies into 2-inch dough balls and place onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown.

Original Recipe:  http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2013/05/flourless-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

Here's another one that doesn't look good but tastes awesome. I prepped a ton of spaghetti squash (really starting to love this stuff!) in the microwave and made little beef meatballs in the oven with organic tomato sauce. Comfort food at it's finest!

Gimme Chimichurra!

I had the most amazing fish at Sesame recently with homemade chimichurra sauce and can't stop thinking about the cilantro-y flavors. So I got some pre-grilled chicken from Earth Fare and roasted a sweet potato, sauteing some spinach and onions in a pan while it cooked. I ended up tossing it with a lot more sauce and am thinking of other ways to work it in...baked potatoes next?

Blender Muffins

I love that these are minis and can be adapted so many ways. I doubled the recipe and made them with almond butter. Half with Enjoy Life chocolate chips and the other half with jam in the middle so they were PB&J style.

http://happyhealthymama.com/2014/02/5-ingredient-blender-muffins-15-ways.html

Chorizo Breakfast Hash

I wish I had a more appetizing picture of this because it's REALLY good! And super easy. We like to get the packages of chorizo sausage in the Hispanic section of our local grocery store but I suppose you could use the fancy stuff from Whole Foods or whatever too. Roast a bunch of veggies (I used a sweet potato, a bag of brussel sprouts, a bunch of asparagus, a yellow bell pepper, and an onion) in some olive oil and salt/pepper at 425 for 30 minutes or until nice and soft. Cook the chorizo in a big pan until cooked through, then stir in the veggies. That's it! Great with an over easy egg on top too.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I recently went back to Crust and tried their beet salad with roasted chicken and it was amazing. So naturally I had to attempt it at home. Bibb lettuce, chunks of pre-cooked roasted chicken, crumbles of goat cheese, pickled beets, caramelized onions, chopped pistachios and olive oil/balsamic vinegar for dressing. Mmmmmmm!

Captain Crunchies

Totally not paleo but when my husband was organizing our friend's bachelor party beach weekend I thought some junk food treats were in order. In addition to M&M cookies and brownies I made these with a bag of marshmallows, a stick of butter, and a box of peanut butter Captain Crunch. The cereal pieces were pretty large and not really sticking together, so I crushed up several cups of cereal in the food processor and they smooshed together nicely.

Easy Sausage Bowl

My husband made this as an easy weeknight dinner. Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potato with some diced sausage that had been cooked in a pan then tossed in with the veggies. Simple and delicious!

French Fries

I've been experimenting with baked french fries lately and they get a little better each time. The latest involves cutting them into wedges with the skin on and tossing them with garlic infused olive oil and sea salt, pepper, and parsley. I tried Old Bay on a different batch and they were a little too spicy for my taste but these were perfect.

Greek Pita Pizzas

This paleo naan recipe is the gift that keeps on giving! Tonight I threw some oregano (along with lots of garlic and onion powder and parsley) into the batter and topped it with hummus (not paleo), mixed greens, diced tomatoes, black olives, shredded rotisserie chicken, and caramelized onions, topping the whole thing off with a spritz of lemon juice. Heaven.

Butternut, Broccoli & Sausage Breakfast Bake

Ingredients
2 lb. cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoon EVOO or coconut oil
1 lb. sausage (the crumbly kind)
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1 chopped yellow onion
20 large eggs
1 small can coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 and toss squash with oil, salt and pepper in a large lasagna pan or casserole dish. Roast for 25-30 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion about five minutes. Stir in broccoli and cook another five minutes (until sausage is cooked through). Pile it on top of the squash when it comes out of the oven

3. Whisk eggs, coconut milk and any seasonings (I used salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley) in a bowl. Pour over squash, sausage, and veggies.

4. Bake 35-40 minutes until eggs are set. Cut into squares and reheat for breakfast!

Recipe from Dec 2014 Paleo Magazine

Tostados

Another take on the paleo naan--tostados! I topped it with grass fed beef cooked with a Whole Foods taco seasoning packet, some pico de gallo, and scallions. YUM!!! It's a bit wonky looking because I ran out of tapioca flour and tried to sub coconut flour instead (tasted fine but much more crumbly and not as doughy).

Shaky Graves

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you put on a concert. Can't say enough great things about seeing Shaky Graves live at the Charleston Music Hall a few weeks ago. Awesome show!